Motor vehicle windscreen wiper

ABSTRACT

The invention proposes a motor vehicle windscreen wiper of the type in which a cover ( 10 ), intended completely to cover over a drive head, includes two longitudinal lateral flanks ( 16 ) joined together by a transverse back ( 18 ) which includes an upper longitudinal part ( 24 ) and a downwards-curved part ( 86 ) at its rear end. The transverse back of the cover ( 10 ) includes an aperture ( 14 ) giving access to means for fixing the drive head onto the end of an alternating-sweep drive shaft. A cap ( 12 ) is provided, the contour ( 44, 46, 48 ) of which is complementary to that ( 30, 32, 34 ) of the aperture ( 14 ), which is mounted articulated ( 50, 60 ) on the cover ( 10 ) between a service position in which it blocks off the aperture ( 14 ) and an open raised position in which the aperture ( 14 ) is clear.

[0001] The present invention relates to a motor vehicle windscreen wiper.

[0002] The invention relates more particularly to a windscreen wiper of the type in which a cover is intended completely to cover over an alternating-sweep drive head for a windscreen wiper blade with respect to which it is mounted articulated about a transverse axis, between a service position and a raised position, of the type in which the cover includes two longitudinal lateral flanks joined together by a transverse back which includes an upper longitudinal part and a downwards-curved part at its rear end.

[0003] Many examples of such a design of a windscreen wiper are known in which, in order to improve the appearance of the rear longitudinal part of the windscreen wiper which is mounted on the free upper end of a drive shaft, and so as to protect the elements for fixing the windscreen wiper to the drive shaft, a trim cover arrangement is provided according to the above-mentioned design.

[0004] According to a first design, the trim and protective cover may be a piece applied directly onto the body of the drive head and which is independent of the other components of the windscreen wiper.

[0005] The trim cover may be mounted so as to move with respect to the rear longitudinal part of the windscreen wiper arm which is mounted articulated on the drive head about a transverse axis.

[0006] According to get another design, the cover may consist of the rear longitudinal part of the windscreen wiper arm proper, which is shaped into a casing and which is articulated onto the drive head about a transverse axis arranged in proximity to the rear longitudinal end of the windscreen wiper arm.

[0007] Whatever the design, it is desirable, at least after the windscreen wiper is first mounted on the vehicle, or with a view to allowing this first mounting, to be able to gain access to the means for fixing the drive head onto the end of the drive shaft, without requiring dismantling of the various components of the windscreen wiper, and particularly of the windscreen wiper arm, which is generally stressed by a wiping spring the fitting and the removal of which are particularly complicated.

[0008] With this aim, the invention proposes a windscreen wiper of the abovementioned type, characterised in that the transverse back of the cover includes an aperture giving access to means for fixing the drive head onto the end of an alternating-sweep drive shaft, and in that a cap is provided, the contour of which is complementary to that of the aperture, which is mounted articulated on the cover between a closed service position in which it blocks off the aperture and an open raised position in which the aperture is clear.

[0009] According to other characteristics of the invention:

[0010] the cap is mounted articulated on the cover about a transverse axis arranged in the vicinity of the front transverse edge of the aperture;

[0011] the means for articulating the cap onto the cover include an articulation tab with a circular-arc profile, with a concave upper face, which is guided in circular sliding in a slot with a profile complementary to that of the cover;

[0012] the articulation tab extends longitudinally forwards from the front transverse edge of the cap and is accommodated in a guide slot formed in the vicinity of the front transverse edge of the aperture;

[0013] the concave upper face of the articulation tab is smooth and is guided in circular sliding by convex circular guide surfaces consisting of the free edges of several longitudinal and parallel guide cheeks formed facing the inner face of the upper longitudinal part of the transverse back;

[0014] the convex lower face of the articulation tab includes two longitudinal reinforcing ribs arranged along the lateral edges of the articulation tab;

[0015] the guide slot is delimited longitudinally by a segment of the front transverse edge of the aperture and by a segment of a parallel transverse edge belonging to a crosspiece of the cover;

[0016] the crosspiece of the cover includes an elastically deformable longitudinal tongue the edge of the free front end of which constitutes the said parallel transverse edge which delimits the guide slot;

[0017] the edge of the free front end of the tongue interacts with a notch formed on the lower face of the articulation tab, in the vicinity of the free front end of the latter, so as to constitute an end stop which determines the raised angular position of the cap and retains the articulation tab in the guide slot;

[0018] the free front end of the articulation tab is shaped as a wedge in order to cause the tongue to disappear when the cap is fitted on the cover;

[0019] elastic means are provided for locking the cap in its closed position;

[0020] the elastic locking means include at least one elastic locking strip which extends vertically downwards from the rear transverse edge of the cap and the free end of which includes a locking nose which interacts with a rib arranged face-to-face in the inner face of the curved rear part of the back of the cover;

[0021] the aperture is delimited by a front transverse edge formed in the longitudinal upper part of the back and by a rear transverse edge which is formed in the downwards-curved rear part of the back and which is offset vertically downwards with respect to the front transverse edge;

[0022] the aperture is delimited by two longitudinal edges formed in the two longitudinal lateral flanks;

[0023] the cover is a rear casing-shaped part of an arm which carries a windscreen wiper blade.

[0024] Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge on reading the detailed description which follows, for an understanding of which reference will be made to the attached drawings in which:

[0025]FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of an exemplary embodiment of the invention in which the cover consists of the rear casing-shaped part of a windscreen wiper arm and on which the cap is illustrated in exploded position above the aperture of the cover;

[0026]FIG. 2 is a view in cross-section through the central vertical plane of the cover and on which the cap is illustrated in exploded position in its vertical orientation with a view to fitting it onto the cover;

[0027]FIG. 3 is a view similar to that of FIG. 2 in which the cap is illustrated in closed and locked position;

[0028]FIG. 4 is a view of the cap along the arrow F4 of FIG. 2;

[0029]FIGS. 5 and 6 are larger-scale views of the details D5 and D6 of FIGS. 2 and 3;

[0030]FIG. 7 is a view in section, on a smaller scale, along the line 7-7 of FIG. 5, and in which the cap is illustrated in closed position;

[0031]FIG. 8 is a large-scale sectional view in cross-section along the line 8-8 of FIG. 4 in which the cap is illustrated in position closed and locked on the cover;

[0032]FIG. 9 is a bottom view of the rear part forming the cover of the windscreen wiper arm illustrated in FIG. 1; and

[0033]FIG. 10 is a larger-scale detailed view taken in section along the line 10-10 of FIG. 9.

[0034] In the description which will follow, identical or similar components are designated by the same reference numbers, and the terms “vertical”, “horizontal”, “upper”, “lower” will be employed by reference to the orientation of the pieces as they are illustrated in the various figures.

[0035] A rear longitudinal part has been represented in the figures, in the shape of a cover 10 which here belongs to a windscreen wiper arm, not represented in detail, the front longitudinal end (not represented) of which generally carries a wiper blade for a window to be wiped.

[0036] In accordance with the teachings of the invention, the upper rear part of the cover 10 is combined with an articulated cap 12 which is provided to close off an aperture 14 of the cover making it possible to gain access to the means for fixing a drive head (not represented) of the windscreen wiper onto a shaft (not represented) for rotational alternating-sweep driving.

[0037] According to a known general design, the cover 10 consists in essence of two longitudinal lateral flanks 16 which extend parallel in vertical planes and which are joined together by a transverse back 18.

[0038] According to a known design, the cover 10 is a moulded part, made of plastic for example, and it includes, in the vicinity of its rear longitudinal end, that is to say to the left when looking at FIGS. 2 and 3, a transverse axis 20 of articulation of the cover onto the drive head which links together the opposing internal faces 22 of the lateral flanks 16 of the cover 10.

[0039] The transverse back 18 consists in essence of an upper longitudinal part 24 which extends in a substantially horizontal plane and which is extended longitudinally rearwards by a downwards-curved rear end part 26 which joins together the lateral flanks 16 in such a way that the casing forming a cover 10 is delimited vertically downwards by a continuous lower edge 28 situated in a horizontal plane parallel to the general plane of the upper longitudinal part 24 of the back 18.

[0040] As can be seen particularly in FIGS. 1 to 3, the rear longitudinal and upper part of the cover 10 is “pierced” by an aperture 14, produced from the same material by moulding, which is delimited longitudinally by a front transverse edge 30 and by a rear transverse edge 32.

[0041] The front transverse edge 30 is formed in the upper longitudinal part 24 of the back 18 while the rear transverse edge 32, which is offset vertically downwards with respect to the front transverse edge 30, is formed in the downwards-curved rear part 26.

[0042] The aperture 14 is also delimited laterally by two longitudinal edges 34 which are formed in the lateral flanks 16.

[0043] As can be seen in FIGS. 1 to 4, the cap 12, which is also a piece moulded for example from plastic, is a piece which is complementary with the form and with the general profile of the rear end part of the cover 10 and its lower contour is complementary particularly with the contour of the aperture 14 consisting of the edges 30 to-34.

[0044] Hence the cap 12 exhibits a shell shape consisting of an upper back 36 which includes a front part 38 of longitudinal and horizontal orientation and a downwards-curved rear part 40, which joins two longitudinal flanks 42 together.

[0045] The lower contour of the cap 12 is delimited by a front transverse edge 44, a rear transverse edge 46 and by two longitudinal edges 48.

[0046] As can be seen in FIG. 3, in the closed service position, and because of the complementarity of the lower contour of the cap 12 and of the contour of the aperture 14, the cap 12 perfectly completes the cover 10 which is presented with a uniform and continuous profile.

[0047] In accordance with the teachings of the invention, the cap 12 is mounted articulated onto the cover 10 between a closed horizontal service position, illustrated in FIG. 3, and a raised open position illustrated in FIG. 5.

[0048] In the example illustrated in the figures, the cap 12 is articulated with respect to the cover 10 about a horizontal axis of transverse orientation A1 which is arranged in the vicinity of the front transverse edge 30 of the aperture 14 and which is offset longitudinally forwards with respect to the latter.

[0049] In order to obtain this articulation, the cap 12 includes an articulation tab 50.

[0050] The lug 50 is produced by moulding from the same material as the cap 12 and extends overall longitudinally forwards from the front transverse edge 44 of the cap 12.

[0051] The lug 50 exhibits a profile curved in a circular arc and it is delimited by an upper face 52 in a concave cylindrical arc and by a parallel lower face in a convex cylindrical arc 54. These two cylindrical-arc surfaces are centred about a transverse axis A2 which is offset longitudinally forwards with respect to the front transverse edge 44 and which, in the mounted position of the cap 12 on the cover 10, is coincident with the axis A1 of articulation and pivoting of the cap 12 with respect to the cover 10.

[0052] The articulation tab 50 is reinforced by two longitudinal reinforcing ribs 56 which extend vertically downwards from the lateral longitudinal edges of the curved articulation tab 60.

[0053] In order to provide pivoting movement of the cap 12 about the common axis A1, A2, the curved articulation tab 50 is guided so as to slide in the slot 60 of the cover 10.

[0054] More precisely, the slot 60 is formed in the upper longitudinal part 24 of the back 18 and it is delimited, on the one hand, by the front transverse edge 30 of the aperture 14 and, on the other hand, by a parallel rear transverse edge portion 62 which belongs to a transverse strut 64 of the cover 10.

[0055] The two face-two-face edges 30 and 62 which delimit the slot 60 are, as can be seen more particularly in FIG. 5, of a cylindrical-arc profile, that is to say that the edge 30 is convex while the edge 60 is concave, in such a way as to delimit a slot profiled in a circular-arc profile along radii which are complementary to those of the cylindrical-arc surfaces 52 and 54 of the articulation tab 50.

[0056] The crosspiece 64 is a piece produced from the same material by moulding with the cover 10, which exhibits a “visor” shape which extends partly into the aperture 14 behind the front transverse edge 30 and which is offset vertically downwards with respect to the upper longitudinal part 24 of the back 18.

[0057] The crosspiece 64 consists in essence of a thin upper plate 66 which extends parallel to the part 24 of the back 18 and which is linked to the cover 10 by two longitudinal lateral wings 68. In its central part, the horizontal main plate 66 of the crosspiece 64 includes two parallel slots 70 which between them delimit a tongue 72 which constitutes an elastically deformable beam, embedded by its rear longitudinal end, the free front end of which includes a segment of the edge 62 of the slot 60 which interacts with the central part of the convex-cylindrical-arc lower surface 54 of the articulation tab 50.

[0058] In addition to the shaping of the slot 60 with its edges 30 and 62, the pivoting guidance of the articulation tab 50 about the common axis A1, A2 is suplemented by four guide cheeks 74 which are cheeks which extend in vertical and longitudinal planes within the cover 10, from the inner face 25 of the upper longitudinal part 24 of the back 18, as can be seen particularly in FIG. 10.

[0059] The four cheeks are parallel and are arranged in the vicinity of the front transverse edge 30 of the aperture 14, and each of them is delimited by a lower longitudinal edge 76 in a circular arc centred on the axis A1.

[0060] The four edges 76 thus overall constitute a convex cylindrical-arc surface, for guiding the articulation tab 50 which interacts with the concave cylindrical-arc upper face 52 of the lug 50.

[0061] The width of the slot 60, that is to say the distance normally separating the edges 30 and 62, is substantially equal to the average thickness “e” (see FIG. 5) of the main part of the articulation tab 50.

[0062] However, as can be seen in FIG. 6, the free front end part 78 of the articulation tab 50 exhibits an over thickness in such a way as to constitute a retention by pinching which makes it possible to hold the cap 12 in its raised open position illustrated in FIG. 5 without falling back inadvertently towards its closed horizontal position of FIG. 3.

[0063] In addition to the thicker part 76, a notch 79 is provided in the lower face 54 in order to avoid the accidental escape of the cap 12 in the event that it is stressed in rotation about the axis A1, in the clockwise direction, beyond its raised position illustrated in FIG. 5.

[0064] The engaging of the thicker part 78 of the slot 60 is made possible by virtue of the capacity of the tongue 62 to be deformed elastically in the manner of an elastic beam.

[0065] Likewise, the fitting by engaging the articulation tab 50 into the slot 60 is facilitated by the wedge shaping 81 of its free front end, the wedge profile causing the temporary disappearance of the tongue 72 by deflection, vertically downwards, considering FIG. 5, of the latter until it passes through the notch 79.

[0066] In accordance with another aspect of the invention, means are also provided for locking the cap 12 in the closed service position.

[0067] These locking means consist here of a series of four elastically deformable strips 80 which extend vertically downwards from the rear transverse edge 46.

[0068] The lower free end of each elastic strip 80 includes a nose 82, oriented longitudinal rearwards, which is capable of interacting by hooking on below a horizontal rib 84 formed in the inner face 86 of the curved rear part 26 as can be seen particularly in FIG. 6.

[0069] The rounded shape of the noses 82 allows them to be engaged automatically behind the rib 84 by interaction with an insertion ramp 88 and allows them to be freed automatically when it is desired to open the cap 12 by pulling the latter vertically upwards overall in order to cause it to pivot about the axis A1.

[0070] The correct leaktight closure of the cap 12 is completed, as can be seen particularly in FIG. 8, by the complementary zigzag-shaped profile of the face-two-face edges 48 of the flanks 42 of the cap 12 and 34 of the flanks 16 of the cover 10.

[0071] In order to avoid the flanks 42 inadvertently moving apart transversely upwards, the inner faces 43 of the flanks 42 of the cap 12 each include a vertically-oriented rib 90 which projects vertically downwards and which extends opposite the facing part of the inner face 22 of the flank 16 associated with the cover 10. 

1. Motor vehicle windscreen wiper of the type in which a cover (10) is intended completely to cover over an alternating-sweep drive head for a windscreen wiper blade with respect to which it is mounted articulated about a transverse axis (20), between a service position and a raised position, of the type in which the cover (10) includes two longitudinal lateral flanks (16) joined together by a transverse back (18) which includes an upper longitudinal part (24) and a downwards-curved part (86) at its rear end, characterised in that the transverse back of the cover (10) includes an aperture (14) giving access to means for fixing the drive head onto the end of an alternating-sweep drive shaft, and in that a cap (12) is provided, the contour (44, 46, 48) of which is complementary to that (30, 32, 34) of the aperture (14), which is mounted articulated (50, 60) on the cover (10) between a closed service position in which it blocks off the aperture (14) and an open raised position in which the aperture (14) is clear.
 2. Windscreen wiper according to the preceding claim, characterised in that the cap (12) is mounted articulated on the cover (10) about a transverse axis (A1, A2) arranged in the vicinity of the front transverse edge (30) of the aperture (14).
 3. Windscreen wiper according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the means for articulating the cap (12) onto the cover (10) include an articulation tab (50) with a circular-arc profile, with a concave upper face (52), which is guided in circular sliding in a slot (60) with a profile complementary to that of the cover (10).
 4. Windscreen wiper according to the preceding claim taken in combination with claim 2, characterised in that the articulation tab (50) extends longitudinally forwards from the front transverse edge (44) of the cap (12) and is accommodated in a guide slot (60) formed in the vicinity of the front transverse edge (30) of the aperture (14).
 5. Windscreen wiper according to claim 4, characterised in that the concave upper face (52) of the articulation tab (50) is smooth and is guided in circular sliding by convex circular guide surfaces consisting of the free edges (76) of several longitudinal and parallel guide cheeks (74) formed facing the inner face (25) of the upper longitudinal part (24) of the transverse back (18).
 6. Windscreen wiper according to one of claims 4 and 5, characterised in that the convex lower face (54) of the articulation tab (50) includes two longitudinal reinforcing ribs (56) arranged along the lateral edges of the articulation tab (50).
 7. Windscreen wiper according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterised in that the guide slot (60) is delimited longitudinally by a segment of the front transverse edge (30) of the aperture (14) and by a segment (62) of a parallel transverse edge belonging to a crosspiece (64) of the cover (10).
 8. Windscreen wiper according to the preceding claim, characterised in that the crosspiece (64) of the cover (10) includes an elastically deformable longitudinal tongue (72) the edge of the free front end (62) of which constitutes the said parallel transverse edge which delimits the guide slot (60).
 9. Windscreen wiper according to the preceding claim, characterised in that the edge of the free front end (62) of the tongue interacts with a notch (79) formed on the lower face (54) of the articulation tab (50), in the vicinity of the free front end (81) of the latter, so as to constitute an end stop which determines the raised angular position of the cap and retains the articulation tab (50) in the guide slot (60).
 10. Windscreen wiper according to one of claims 8 and 9, characterised in that the free front end (81) of the articulation tab (50) is shaped as a wedge in order to cause the tongue (72) to disappear when the cap (12) is fitted on the cover (10).
 11. Windscreen wiper according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that elastic means (80, 84) are provided for locking the cap (12) in its closed position.
 12. Windscreen wiper according to the preceding claim, characterised in that the elastic locking means include at least one elastic locking strip (80) which extends vertically downwards from the rear transverse edge (46) of the cap (12) and the free end of which includes a locking nose (82) which interacts with a rib (84) arranged face-to-face in the inner face (86) of the curved rear part (26) of the back of the cover.
 13. Windscreen wiper according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the aperture (14) is delimited by a front transverse edge (30) formed in the longitudinal upper part (24) of the back (18) and by a rear transverse edge which is formed in the downwards-curved rear part of the back and which is offset vertically downwards with respect to the front transverse edge (30).
 14. Windscreen wiper according to the preceding claim, characterised in that the aperture (14) is delimited by two longitudinal edges (34) formed in the two longitudinal lateral flanks (16).
 15. Windscreen wiper according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the cover (10) is a rear casing-shaped part of an arm which carries a windscreen wiper blade. 